Machine for finishing pipe bends, fittings, and the like.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

H. W. EVANS. MACHINE FOR FINISHING PIEB-BENDS, FITTINGS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AVPB. 18,1907. 7

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m, 883,942. PATENTED APR. 7, 190a. I E, W. EVANS. MACHINE FOR FINISHING PIPE BENDS, FITTINGS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18,1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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No. 883,942. I PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

H. W. EVANS.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING PIPE BBNDS, FITTINGS, AND THE LIKE. APPLIGATIONTILBD APB.18,1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEEN? 3.

THE NORRIS P515125 co., wnsnmcrou, n. c.

PATEN'I'ED APR. '7', 1908.

H. W. EVANS. MACHINE FOR FINISHING PIPE BENDS, FITTINGS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18,1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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HOWARD W. EVANS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING PIPE BENDS, FITTINGS, AND THE LII E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed April 18, 1907. Serial No. 368,989.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD W. EVANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Finishing Pipe Bends, Fittings, and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metal-working machines, and pertains more particularly to the manufacture of cut pipes and fittings, the principal service performed by the machine of the invention being the complete finishing of wrought pi e and ipe bends of various curves and ang es, as also the finishing of special cast flanged fittings. As regards pipe bends, after the length of pipe is bent, by whatever process employed, it is necessary to cut and thread or cut and flange it to make it serviceable in the ipe line. As regards flanged fittings, it is we 1 known that many such fittings are of such special shapes or large sizes that they cannot easily be finished in a lathe or boring mill.

The machine of my present invention is serviceable for cutting and threading or cutting and flanging pipe sections, as also for facing the flanges of fittings at any required angle, and, if desired, drilling the flanges with one setting of the work.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a machine which provides for a quick and accurate adjustment as to dimensions and angles and adaptable to all sizes and shapes of bent pipes or fittings; and to this end the machine consists, as to its leading and essential features, of a pair of machine supports, one or both being pivoted at one end and adjustable to various angles relatively to each other, finishing machines mounted on said supports, respectively, and provided with means for adjusting them ongitudinally of such supports and securing them at any adjusted position thereon, and means for supporting the work between the machines in a position favorable for the engagement of its ends by said machine.

Preferably, also, the machines, besides being adjustable longitudinally of the supports or beds, are also pivotally mounted, which facilitates the correct positioning of the machine to engage the ends of variously bent pipe sections or fittings.

In the practical embodiment of my invention, the finishing machines and their supports may be either mounted on thefloor or suspended from overhead supports, as desired or most convenient; and in the accompanying drawings I have illustrated both of these forms.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is a plan View of the complete machine adapted to be supported from below. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof viewed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views similar to Fig. 1, on a reduced scale, and showing adjustments of the ap aratus to effect the finishing of two forms 0 reversely curved pipe bends. Fig. 5 is a top plan view, similar to Fig. 1, of a form of the apparatus wherein the finishing means and their adjustable supports are supported from overhead. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 5, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow in the latter figure, with the overhead trolley-beam in cross-section at one end. Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, illustrating adjustments of the apparatus for the finishing of 180-degree and 45-degree fittings, respectively.

Referring first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, 10 and 11 designate as entireties a pair of strai ht radial machine supports or beds that pivot at one end on a center support 12, and at their outer ends have rollers 13 mounted in depending bracket-arms 14 (Fig. 2) and traveling on an arc-shaped I-beam or other track 15 that is concentric with the pivotal center of the machine beds, whereby the latter are suported at their outer ends with entire freeom of lateral swing.

Although both machine beds are shown as pivoted, it is essential only that one of them be pivotally movable relative to the other, since all the desired angular adjustments are obtainable where one member only is pivoted. The track 15 is preferably graduated in degrees as shown 1n the plan view, Fig. 1, so that the relative angular divergence of the machine beds is easily determined.

The upper surface of each machine bed is formedwith a slideway 16, which may co11- veniently consist simply of laterally project-.

mg flanges; this slideway being engaged by a machine base 17 that is provided on its under side with a slide 18 engaging the slideway 16. Mounted on the base 17 by means of a vertical pivot indicated at 19 is a finishing machine indicated as an entirety by 20. One of these machines is mounted on each of the beds 10 and 11, and is conveniently i the slide 18 and adapted to engage the slideway.

So far as the broad aspects of my invention are concerned, the articular character of the machines 20, and t e particular operation or operations performed thereby are immaterial; but the principal uses contemplated by the invention are in connection with machines for cutting, threading, and facing pipe bends and fittings; and the machines herein illustrated largely diagrammatically are machines of that character. For instance, the machine head is provided with'a knife tool indicated at 26 for cutting off the end of the pipe to the proper length;,with die chasers 27 for cutting the thread on the end of a pipe bend; and with a facing tool indicated at 28; 20 indicating an electric motor whereby the machine head is driven through suitable interposed driving connections.

Referring to the -means for sup orting the work, 29 indicates each of a pair 0 standards constituting work-supports that are secured at their bases to the machine beds as by screws 30; said supports having seats in their upper ends in which may lie the end parts of a pipe bend to be finished, such as is indicated at 31 such pipe bend being rigidly secured and held as by U -bolts or other clamps 32 secured by nuts 32 to the upper ends of the supports 29. Fig' 1 of the drawin s illustrates a 90-degree pi e bend suitab y positioned and supportec to be operated upon at its opposite ends by the machine 20.

In using the machine, the machine beds 10 and 11 are first adjusted according to the angular bend of the work to be operated upon, the work is then introduced and rigidly secured on the work-holders 29, and finally the finishing machines 20 are moved inwardly on the machine beds and secured in proper posijustment adapted to operate upon a reversely curved pipe bend 31 wherein the end members are non-parallel. Fig. 4 illustrates an adjustment adapted to operate upon a sim le reversely curved bend 31 having parallel endportions. Fig. 8 illustrates an adjustment adapted to operate upon a 45-degree pipe fitting3l In some of the adjustments, such as those illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 7, for instance, the angularly adjustable character of the finishing machines relatively to their own bases is shown; such individual angular adjustment of the machines being necessary where the end of the work to be engaged by the machine lies other than parallel 1yg ith the longitudinal axis of the machine Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate an adaptation of the principle of the invention to situations where it is desirable to suspend the finishing machines from some overhead support and bring the latter into positions favorable for operating upon the ends of pipe bends and fittings supported therebeneath. In this form of the invention, 33 may indicate a rigid post depending from some suitable overhead support, on the lower end of which are pivoted the two angularly adjustable machine supports 34 and 35. For supporting the outer or free ends of the members 34 and 35 I have shown an arc-shaped trolley rail 36 conveniently of I-beam form, which is, of course, concentric with the pivotal aXis 33 of the machine supports; and each of the latter has secured to its up er side a trolley indicated at 37, the whee s or rollers 38 of which ride upon the lower flange of the trolley rail. Slides 39, to which are pivoted the finishing machines 20, as already described, engage slideways on the under sides of the machine supports whereby to permit longitudinal adjustment of the machines relatively to their supports; said machines being equipped with the rack and pinion adjusting mechanism above described, as likewise with suitable clamping bolts indicated at 40 whereby to secure the machines preliminary to work in any adjusted position.

In order to support the work such as indicated by the pipe bend 41 in suitable position to be engaged and operated upon by the depending machines, I provide a base-plate 42, the upper surface whereof is provided with a series of undercut grooves 43 and 44 intersecting at right angles and adapted to receive headed bolts 45 that may pass through the feet 46 of posts 47 provided at their upper ends with seats and clamps for securing the pi e bends or fittings, as already described? The base 42 thus constructed permits the necessary angular and radial adjustments of the posts 47 to sup ort bends and fittings of various angles and imensions; and, the work having been positioned, the machine supports 34 and 35 are then adioo justed into parallelism with the arms of the pipe bend or fitting, and the machines are then adjusted inwardly into proper engaging position relatively to the ends of said arms. In this construction, as in that reviously described, by pivoting the machlnes on their respective slides 39, theymay be anularly adjusted on their own vertical axes or roper engagement with the ends of ben s and fittings that do not lie radially parallel with the overhead machine supports.

My invention is obviously capable of embodiment in other forms of apparatus; but the above described forms will sufilce to render clear the principle and advantages thereof. As suggested in the diagrammatic views, Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8, the machine beds or supports may be provided with cooperating tracks or trolleys permitting an adjustment thereof throughout the Whole or any part of a complete circle. It will also be understood that thetracks or trolleys will preferably be suitably graduated so that the angular adjustments of the machine beds or supports can be radiallyfixed and determined. It will also be understood that the invention is in no wise limited to the particular character of the finishing machines, since machines adapted to perform any finishing or other operations upon the pipe bends and fittings of the character described may be advantageously employed in the manner described.

I claim: 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination With means for supporting a pipe, pipe bend, or fitting in a position to be operated upon, of a machine bed pivoted for angular adjustment, and a finishing machine mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of said machine bed and also angularly adjustable on its own vertical axis and fitted with a tool spindle mounted on a horizontal axis for engaging the Work, substantially as described. 2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of supportingmembers capable of relative angular adjustment, of finishing machines mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of said supportingmembers, respectively, said finishing machines being capable of angular adjustment on their own vertical axes and having tool spindles each mounted on a horizontal axis for engaging the Work, and means for supporting a pipe, pipe bend, or fitting in a position to be operated upon, substantially as described. 3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of supportingmembers pivotally connected at one end thereof, of finishing machines mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of said supporting -members, respectively, and Worksupports disposed between said finishing machines and the pivotal axis of said supporting-members and adjustable longitudinally 5 of the latter, substantially as described.

HOWARD W. EVANS.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. Pom), MATTIE B. BLIss. 

